Profile: Were you to look up "easy velocity" in the dictionary, you probably wouldn't find it, on account of it's not a very common term. However, were you to ask some baseball scouts, "Who in the game most clearly exhibits 'easy velocity'?" it's likely that many of them would say Neftali Feliz. Feliz used that velocity -- as well as an above-average curveball -- to post a 2.73 ERA and 40 saves in 2010, en route to becoming one of the top-65 or so most valuable fantasy players. Two uncertainties surround Feliz entering 2011. The first concerns his batted-ball profile, as Feliz' career .221 BABIP-against is likely to regress back up towards .300. The second concerns his role. After pitching predominantly as a starter in the minors, Feliz has now made all 90 of his Major League appearances in relief. The Rangers are entertaining the idea of re-introducing Feliz to the rotation. It likely wouldn't change his value a ton, but it would affect how he fits on fantasy rosters. (Carson Cistulli)

The Quick Opinion: Has been excellent, but a bit hit-lucky, though his first 100 innings. That will affect him more should he start, where his main stat to date (i.e. saves) wouldn't be available.

Profile: After the signing of Joe Nathan, Feliz will likely enter the season in the rotation, returning to the starting role he had in the minors. As the closer last year, his strikeout rate fell by more than a point, while his walk rate jumped more than two points and he remained an extreme fly ball pitcher. Only great fortune enabled him to post another ERA well below 3.00. The good news is that he posted another fantastic swinging strike percentage and his velocity was unchanged. As a starter, he will need to throw his other pitches more frequently, as his fastball usage was around 80% the last two seasons. He will probably be on an innings limit as well, so there are various risks associated with this transition. (Mike Podhorzer)

The Quick Opinion: Feliz enters the 2012 as a likely member of the Rangers rotation after transitioning from closing games and suffering a skills decline last year. With an innings cap and the need to throw his non-fastball pitches more often, there are multiple risks Feliz faces upon his move.

Profile: In eight games (seven starts) last season for the Rangers, Feliz had a 3.16 ERA but posted underwhelming peripheral numbers. Feliz' control abandoned him in the rotation (4.85 walks per nine), leading to a less than stellar 4.64 FIP and 4.98 xFIP, and disappointment for Feliz owners everywhere. After averaging 96.3 mph with his fastball in both 2011 and 2012 out of the bullpen, Feliz' velocity dropped to 94.7 mph in 2012. While a 95 mph is nothing to sneeze at, some pitchers are made to pitch out of the bullpen, and Feliz might be one of those pitchers. Nobody should be shocked to see the Rangers prepare Neftali to start during his rehab but after losing Mike Adams and Koji Uehara in free agency the Rangers have a role to fill in the pen. Jason Frasor, Josh Lindlom, Tanner Scheppers and fellow Tommy John recoveree, Joakim Soria, should do an adequate job replacing them in the bullpen but if the situation is still unsettled in September and Neftali is nearing a return, he might end up pitching in short stints again. Current closer Joe Nathan and former top closer Joakim Soria are roadblocks in the way of Feliz seeing any saves, but with proven success out of the pen and potential upside in the rotation, Feliz is someone to keep an eye on later this year as he recovers from Tommy John, and in the future for keeper leagues. (Ben Pasinkoff)

The Quick Opinion: Recovering from Tommy John surgery in August of 2012, Neftali Feliz is looking to return to the Rangers in the middle of 2013. Will he start or relieve?

Profile: Neftali Feliz returned from August 2012 Tommy John surgery to throw just four innings with the Texas Rangers in 2013. His velocity wasn't quite where he's been historically, but it's reasonable to think he wasn't airing it out quite yet. He will have all winter to continue to build up arm strength and right now, he seems to be the favorite to fill the shoes of Joe Nathan who left in free agency. Still, it's possible that the Rangers view Feliz better suited for the starting rotation (as they did in 2012) and the closer battle can be left to Joakim Soria and Tanner Scheppers. The Rangers have a wealth of ninth inning options, and what they do with rotation upgrades via free agency or trades will have an impact on their decision with Feliz. It's a situation to monitor -- but Feliz stands to have value in either case. In his career, he's mostly been used as a reliever, flashing an uppper 90's fastball very good to great strikeout rates. If I were a betting man, I'd say he opens the season as their closer. (Michael Barr)

The Quick Opinion: Neftali Feliz appears to be the favorite to close in Arlington headed into 2013, as he did from 2010 to 2011. In ninth inning duties in the past, Feliz has been excellent with an ERA around 2.75 and a very low WHIP complimented by plus strikeout rates. Coming off Tommy John surgery, there's still some question about regaining his past form, so go forward with caution.

Profile: Coming off a mostly lost 2013, Neftali Feliz put up some impressive numbers in his 30 appearances last year -- on the surface, anyway. Feliz’s sub-2.00 ERA and sub-1.00 WHIP rank among the league’s best, but all signs point to an aberration. Feliz’s strikeout rate sat at an all-time low, and while his walk rate improved, it’s still nothing to write home about. Feliz has always limited hits when balls are hit into play, but with his fastball now averaging 93 instead of 96, those days could soon be behind him. Feliz’s saving grace is that he induces pop-ups at an otherworldly clip, a skill that could continue even with a slower fastball. Feliz will open the 2015 season without much competition for saves, but he’s not one of the better fantasy closers. Feliz is more than a late-round flier, but paying more than $4 for him in mixed leagues is not recommended. (Zach Sanders)

The Quick Opinion: Feliz is no longer the dominant closer of old -- his fastball has lost a few ticks -- but he should still hold down the ninth inning role for Texas this year. Feliz still has value, but he’s not worth betting more than $4 on.

Profile: It was hard to take Feliz's 2014 ERA and WHIP seriously when viewing the entire picture. A 1.99 ERA and 0.98 WHIP aren't necessarily out of bounds for an elite reliever, but there was nothing elite about Feliz anymore. Hell, even Darren O'Day was blown away by Feliz's 100% LOB from 2014 (O'Day leads baseball over the last three seasons with a 90% rate, minimum 150 innings pitched). And that's before we even get to the .176 batting average on balls in play Feliz put up in 2014. We know pitchers can affect their BABIP a bit with great stuff, especially if paired with a good defense. Other times, it's just plain luck (good or bad). When Feliz had a 33% strikeout rate and 7% walk rate in his rookie season (2009), the .169 BABIP and 85% LOB% were positive outliers, but it was clear that he was playing an active role in achieving such heights. Even dropping back to the league averages (.294, 74%) would've made Feliz a rather pedestrian reliever with these skills, but instead he dropped all the way to the other end of the spectrum with .349 and 61% marks, respectively. Relievers rebound all the time in baseball, so a 28-year old reliever with a mid-90s arm can't be completely forgotten, but the benefit of the doubt has worn off for Feliz and even if he's given a closer's role, he now has to prove something before being trusted as a fantasy option. (Paul Sporer)

The Quick Opinion: Feliz recaptured some of his lost velocity in 2015, but not only was he unable to maintain his obscene batted ball and and strand rates from 2014, he went completely the other way and wound up on the opposite end of the outlier spectrum, taking his ERA and WHIP along for the bumpy ride. The proverbial change of scenery didn't help, either, as he was actually worse with Detroit.